Blog Action Day: Climate Change Multi-Dimensionally
Blog Action Day: Climate Change Multi-Dimensionally
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“There is nothing more powerful than an Idea whose time has come”
When oil hits the scarcity point; i.e. $150 per barrel, according to Paul Zane Pilzer technology [
I look at the word “Climate” as multi-dimensional. First, the word is commonly seen as the weather. It is also the values of a marketplace. Either way, it is the environment in which people live.
Yes, the world weather climate affects everyone. So do the markets in which goods and services are exchanged. Before the collapse of the global economy last year, oil prices crept upwards, altering consumption trends.
Prior to that, when the discussion concerning the environment was brought up, it often fell on deaf ears and blind eyes. When people’s pocketbooks were impacted, everyone began to take notice.
Now that people are paying attention, there is an awareness of the devastation that current consumption trends are producing. Oil will creep up again. And when it does, what alternatives will we have?
On one side, moving to electric sounds appealing. The challenge is the existing cars in use around the globe today. According to http://www.worldometers.info/cars/ there are over 600 million passenger vehicles with internal combustion engines traveling on roads in the world today.
The global production of all passenger vehicles is 49 million per year. If the most aggressive estimate is applied to move to zero emission vehicles into the market is realized, you would only see 100,000 vehicles into production over the next 5 years.
Shai Agassi is an extremely articulate presenter. He inspired me when I saw him do a TED presentation on practical electric vehicle technology. His idea is to transform the supply channel from petroleum to electrons.
He has broken down the electric vehicle issues into manageable parameters. First is the issue of distance. Another is consumption habits. Then there are the methods for recharging the storage units.
He has come to the realization that the battery should be separated from the vehicle. That way, as energy storage improves, the consumer can take advantage immediately. Also, it creates a supply chain that can be managed.
He has devised a changing station, much like a car wash to exchange an old battery with a new one in under 2 minutes. Less time than it currently takes to fill a gas tank. Plus, the added benefit is you don’t even need to exit the vehicle.
He was inspired by an MIT white paper on what happens when the price of oil reaches $150 per barrel. At this tipping point oil changes from a global commodity exchange to a resource that is controlled by guns, tanks, and bombs.
Our changing over to non-oil is clearly a global moral issue, as he claims. Not to mention all the climactic problems of carbon emissions. The major concern is still clearly one of infrastructure. In Europe where distances are fairly short converting seems to make more sense.
In the US, where 125 million vehicles are on the road, is a different issue all together. On the plus side, Mr. Agassi has found that electron storage technology follows a 5 year cycle of a double Moore’s Law. Every 5 years storage capacity doubles while the size shrinks. By removing the storage unit from the vehicle allows this reality to gain greater momentum as demand increases.
Nissan/Renault will be introducing a line of vehicles in the spring of 2010 that conform to this ideology. They have a family sedan that has amazing performance and the full comfort expected for a family car.
The unfortunate downside in the US market is our already overstretched power grid will be stretched even further when this technology hits the streets. But fear not, they only anticipate selling 100,000 vehicles in narrowly defined markets. Not quite enough to make a dent on the 600,000,000 globally or 125,000,000 in the US existing vehicles on the road today.
On the bleak side, when oil is back to $150 a barrel, there will be a major reduction in global population. Thanks to the narrow thinking, global corporations, and suppression of innovation by mega-industry we can expect a shift to electric to be just as painful.
Unless, grass roots movements un-suppress technology and a totally free enterprise system unshackles back yard systems for self sustainable methods to separate from “The Grid”. Mass distribution begets mass problems. Maybe it’s time to think differently.
What if you and I could go to a store, where we can affordably pick up a UV ray solar collector along with a low cost storage system, one that delivered 50KW of continuous output? That would be enough to heat your home, power all your devices and charge your car at night. Shai Agassi has a technology that currently goes 100 miles on a charge. In less than 5 years that will be 400 miles!
You need to, along with me, start this grass roots movement today. We must pressure a climate of change. Far too long has fear and propaganda manipulated our thoughts and actions. We are better than that. We are more intelligent than that. The world deserves better than that. Believe in that. Take action in it. Make it happen. Don’t just talk about it.
Let us stop the energy that is put into the destruction of war and peacefully put it into solving this issue. Let us not produce and buy only 100,000 vehicles to invoke this change. Insist and choose 125,000,000 or 600,000,000. Now that would most certainly be a climate of change.
Warmly,
Michael Spindelman
“The Flow Doctor”
It looks like you are a real expert. Did ya study about the matter? lawl
Once I originally commented I clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now each time a remark is added I get 4 emails with the same comment. Is there any means you may take away me from that service? Thanks!